Yesterday i took complete leave of my senses and forgot that i swore never to take Judah out for lunch to a restaurant. I took him out for lunch thinking that a pizza and Coke at LaCombava would be a nice treat while Josh was away this week. Disaster! He didnt like the pizza and i spent the whole time trying to coax him into eating the one piece he did eat without gagging and throwing up. Combava is a nicer restaurant frequented by many of the new-to-our-side American Embassy types. Can you just see my boy spewing his pizza on the cobblestone courtyard while they are enjoying their luncheon? The poor boy tried gamely not to disappoint me and recited over and over to himself under his breath, "dont choke, dont choke, dont choke". Alas. To make up for this unfortunate incident with the pizza i asked him if he'd like a yummy dessert. We ordered fondant au chocolat (rich chocolate cake), of which he ate 2 bites. <sigh> Note to self (again): dont take Judah out for special lunch date unless to Aero Pizza at the top of our hill.

BUT, we did have fun looking for Madagascar Independence Day lanterns on our way back home. The booths with lanterns cheerily bobbing about on the roadside look so lovely every day that i drive past, that i remembered to take my camera this time to take some photos. We're supposed to have a Canada Day celebration this weekend as well since a few weeks ago i received a random phone call asking if we were available to attend a party this coming Sunday. She told me that she would send the details of place and time to our email, but i have yet to receive anything, so i suppose they either have an incorrect email address for us or their plans feel through. Shame. It would have been nice to celebrate with other Canadians (and see who else from Canada lives here as well). We've a birthday party on Saturday and tomorrow evening we'll do the lanterns with friends. Any bets on how many will go up in flames this year? I think, in my wishing to be back in Canada just now, if we were there for good i would miss the Madagascar Independence Day with the lanterns and festivities (which we help pay for but never attend).

Since we've been watching the World Cup Soccer on farmer-vision recently i've seen commercials gearing the public up for the 50th Anniversary of Madagascar's Independence. They play what i assume to be the national anthem, with the equivalent of a bouncing ball indicating when to sing what words printed at the bottom. In the background they display scenes from the countryside. Altogether very patriotic This weekend they will also put on a laser light show and a water show? with fireworks at Lac Anosy downtown. We'll not be attending that - first of all because from 5-6pm it's crabby hour at our house, and secondly, the level of crime and violence is substantially increased compared with years past due to the current political and economic situation.

Josh and Matthew will also be doing flights for children on Friday, together with many other operators at the airport, the organization of which has sparked many 'interesting' conversations when Josh gets home from work. Please pray for the safety of all those involved in this spectacle, since while there will be a significant increase in flights from this usually quiet airport, the control tower will also be hosting masses of children for tours. Seems like a recipe for disaster to me, but what do i know.

Hanging out on the grass. Asher loves to eat grass.

I love that "A" standing on it's head. This is our family, if you cant tell on your own.

Look at me stand with no hands! i think that this is a fluke, because he cant stand sans hands yet.

Mr. Renier comes over every Friday to play cricket with Josh, but also spends time with Judah, which i appreciate immensely. Judah needs more male role models who give him undivided attention. I've been wishing for a boys club type program here run by men (not moms). In this photo i think they are pretending to do some fishing in the next door pond.

having trouble uploading the other pics. just give me a minute... or a day. i'll add more information later too.

I found myself reading The Frugal Traveler, a NYTimes column, online yesterday. One of the articles the former author, Matt Gross, wrote was about the things he's learned about frugal traveling over his tenure as The Frugal Traveler (wouldnt that be the best job?! traveling, taking photos with great equipment, writing about it!). Although we are not traveling, essentially, we do live abroad in many respects. (i mean to say, even though this is our home, we still are in a place that is still new to us) and we do receive travelers to our place (even if we arent listed on Couchsurfers.org ... which i think is somewhat of a scary organization to participate in this day and age, dont you think? I mean, inviting strangers over the internet to sleep on your couch?! Bah. That whole idea creates a tension of worldviews for me: on one hand i love the idea of being hospitable to the stranger, but on the other hand we have been trained [that's the key word there isnt it] to think there are so many psychos out there who want nothing more than to find unsuspecting people over the internet and harm them in some way. ...However, I do think we've become WAY too fearful about the internet, and i do believe that that kind of fear is indicative of our un-trust in an all powerful God).

Anyway, all those side-topics aside, i thought Matt Gross had some good things to say that (obviously, or i wouldnt copy them here) reflected my own ideas of travel:

This is especially true for non-western destinations where the cultures are a lot more different to your own, like in Africa. I've seen more than a few visitors (volunteers and tourists alike) arrive here to accomplish something (work, volunteering, a travel itinerary) only to become immediately (or gradually, depending how long they stay here) frustrated at how they cannot accomplish what they've come here (and paid 3000$ for airfare) to do. That, my friends, is Madagascar for you. I havent experienced enough of mainland Africa to make any comment of whether it's equally true for there. I can say that i've become increasingly leary of inviting short term (ie. 2 week) volunteers come down to do a set itinerary of work because invariably things happen, equipment or supplies arent available (even if they were ordered way ahead of time!!) and/or the people with whom you're working have somehow changed their minds on what they want to be done or even if they want anything done at all. Many North Americans, the poor saps, who get only 2-3 weeks of holidays per year simply often cannot handle the idea that they're wasting their time doing something (or nothing) that they werent planning to do during their very precious 2 weeks off. This is understandable. My response to this is: N.Americans need more holidays (or, they need to take the holidays that the DO have!) and they need to release the idea that a vacation must go according to some preconceived notion. It's just not a reasonable expectation in destinations like this one.

This is not to say people shouldnt be doing volunteering for short term or whatever. It just means that if you decide to do something like that it is of foremost importance to realize that you need to pack an overabundance of patience, and try not to over-plan your trip.

"Still, after all [my] trips, I do have a few regrets - not about things i did incorrectly, but about things i didnt have the chance to do. Like relax. Often i'd wind up on a beach somewhere (France, Greece, Malta) and want nothing more than to lie on the sand all day, with occasional forays into the cooling surf. But then i'd think: where's the drama there? If i didnt go do something - anything - I'd have nothing to write about! And so off i'd go, anxiety ridden and not nearly tan enough, in search of more prose worthy excitement."

and this from a guy who traveled/"vacationed" for a living!!

"Dont try to do too much. Enjoy the moment, wander aimlessly and save that third expensive [destination] for the next day - or the next trip. Let yourself breathe. After all, you're on vacation."

I find sometimes i dont 'do' enough here to make prose worthy blogs but in fact, i suspect in our day and age NOT doing is sometimes the better of the two for many of us are running about like headless chickens trying to DO all the time. And for what reason, really? To feel more important, more accomplished, like we're getting more bang for our buck? Ach, if you've read my blog for a few years now you know that over-activity is already a dead-horse-issue of mine. I like to beat at it still, occasionally. Be Still. and Know. the LORD, He is God.

First, sorry for the leading comments in my previous blog. I'm not prepared to write about what i heard. I didnt hear it announced in the meeting, just in conversation with friends.

Second, one of my newest distractions is posting and reading others' posts at the new Madagascar recipe blog that friends of mine started. These friends are known to be quite stellar cooks. I post recipes to make them think i'm also savvy in the kitchen If you're interested you can find the blog here. One of the other purposes of the blog is to post restaurant recommendations, since advertising in this place is predominantly by word of mouth. I'm waiting to read some good recommendations, but i suppose we all assume that we're all visiting the same places now anyway. When we first moved to Tana i thought it would be a great idea to have some kind of book or resource like the In Your Pocket books they have in the Baltics. I always loved the sassy recommendation write-ups they had in that booklet, and the maps were indispensable! There really isnt anything like it here, although i've seen some attempts in that vein. Nothing comprehensive though, more just a booklet with photos and names of places, with addresses, which helps almost nothing if you dont know the locale.

I've been thinking of the Baltics again, as i do now and again. I suspect the Baltics are my first love when it comes to my overseas postings. <sigh> I miss Lithuania inordinately! Yesterday i posted a comment on facebook about the sadness i expect to experience when my thick hand-knit wool socks i bought in the market in Klaipeda will finally bite the dust. They are my fast-friends these days when the inside temperatures hover around 8C in my bedroom and living room. brr! My dear friends from there offered to send me some replacements, bless their hearts. It would be a delight to receive a package from there, i admit. But even better would be to visit in person. My soul would be gladdened for it, i'm sure.

"I was just thinking today how sad it is that a visit back to the Baltics doesnt seem to be on the near horizon. I could go for some kepta duona su suris, a visit to the Nazareth church and to Undine's mom's house for a good meal ;-D , a walk along the beach at Nida, a few nights of dancing at Kurpiai (although my favourite dance partner no longer lives there and Josh doesnt dance. alas), a new pair of amber stud earrings, a few meals at the Olde Hansa in Tallinn after shopping in the old town... <sigh> Perhaps Josh and i could go back to the Baltics for our 10 year anniversary, since we went there for our honeymoon. That means only 2.5 years left! I'll broach the subject and see what he says.

Sometimes i visit in my dreams, but as of late i can no longer speak the language. Funny how when i was learning French I would always first think of words in Lithuanian. Now in my dreams i can only speak in French. shame."

Is there still a Presto tea shop on Manto st. across the street from where the movie theatre was (still is?). I loved that place. <sigh>.

Rhonda said the other day that i should post another samesies photo montage because she reckoned the boys were starting to look more different. I'd have to agree, although Josh was looking at these photos and complaining that he didnt like them much because he realized he couldnt tell his kids apart. We're also turning into those parents who keep calling their kids by the wrong name. alas.

Anyway, my observation is that Asher is a bit more beefy looking than his older brother was at the same age (Judah's photos were taken June of 2006, at almost exactly the same age). Look at how thick Asher's wrists/arms are in that same undershirt compared with Judah. Look at how he seems to not have a neck. A rugby player for sure Soon Judah can wear a tshirt that says, "dont mess with me cuz my little brother kicks butt"   I also think that their colouring, even apart from the eyes, is much different, and Asher has a wider head. All that to say, they wont be look-alikes for much longer, i suspect.

June 10 - Asher pulls to stand. <sigh>. With Judah, i confess, we probably pushed him too quickly along these milestones. Asher seems to accomplish the same feats in less time and way before i'm ready for him to! He is eating a LOT of solids recently, 3 times a day now. And we're just entering a new sleep phase, perhaps due to the prayers of the Saints on my behalf. If that's true, THANK YOU! I'm reveling in a solid sleep routine/habit for the first time with Asher and it has, in turn, brought pain relief to my tension headaches and neck ache.

Today in church we heard some very disturbing news, horrifying actually. The fearful side of me immediately thought, "we shouldnt be living in this kind of a place with small children". What ifs are a deadly disease, to be sure. But on the other hand, i find myself more capable of overcoming my fear of things that could happen when brought on by others than my fear of illness and disease. I suppose we all have our own areas of weakness. What i am reminded of every time though is that we are living in an increasingly dangerous and hostile world. It's a global trend that is difficult to escape, if that's what you hope to do. No matter where in the world you find yourself, random  (or not so random) acts of violence happen when you least expect them to. We cannot say we would be safer in this place or that. Of course, the political and economic climate in Madagascar right now is a healthy petri dish for breeding violence and hostile acts of desperation. When i think of escaping such an environment i am brought face to face with the reality that it's not fair that i can do so. In a world racing headlong towards destruction, there is no where to escape. It reminds me that there is no where to escape God either. In the end there is only trust that He is here and he will be with us no matter where we are or what we encounter, even into the pit of horror. 'When i walk through the valley of the shadow of death, You are with me. Your rod and your staff they comfort me.' That said, we would appreciate your prayers for safety as we continue to live in a country where people are doing desperate things to combat the desperate circumstances they are finding themselves in.

After all our goings on about the new fireplace insert, here is, finally, a photo of it. Josh was intending to brick it in on either side, but i think that's been put on hold now because he wants to find a fan to install in the back of the fireplace to blow the hot air that accumulates within the bricked enclosure out into the living room. We'll see. Whatever the case, the fireplace does already put out a lot more heat that we remember having with the old setup (without the black insert). This is the view that greets me when i come downstairs and through the heat-curtained doorway into the living room when Josh has so kindly made a fire early in the morning.

Josh and Renier (of SA) have been making a habit these past few weeks of "having a bit of a bat" on a Friday afternoon. A Cricket Bat. Then, every weekend Josh complains about his back and knee being sore from bowling (that's pitching, in Cricket lingo fyi). Renier has become our new "Tom" recently, as most of our mutual friends have up and left us, so we are now spending a lot more time together. It's nice to have a reason for increased conversation around the dinner table, and someone for Judah (and Josh) to play "manly" things with instead of the pirouetting that he (Judah) has recently picked up from certain neighbours who watch Angelina Ballerina. Ahem. The other day as Judah pirouetted on one of our family walks 'round "the circuit" Josh made the remark that we should arrange more play dates with Josiah and Fanilo this week.   I responded that perhaps we should find the movie "Billy Elliot", as i had a hankering to watch it for some reason. Heehee.

Judah is slowly picking up more french from school, which is a relief since i was wondering if he was impervious to language acquisition. Just in time too, for "summer" holidays coming up at the beginning of July. Bah. The other sweet thing about Judah recently, apart from the fact that he brings home incessant papers and drawings with "maman" written on the top, which makes it difficult for me to throw them out straight away :-S , he's signing his name recently with all the letters in the right order, but with a creative spin: he puts his capital A with it's feet standing up in the air. It's very artsy and although i confess i've told him the error, i hope he doesnt stop doing it. I'll try to post a photo of it if i can get one.

Asher is cruising around the floors with daily increased speed. He especially likes to follow Judah around where he goes. It's pretty cute to watch his little arms motor so quickly after his big brother. Unfortunately it doesnt feel as though his increased mobility tires him out much. We're still battling with a solid bedtime routine and with sleeping through the night. It's pretty exhausting, if i do say so myself.

Sunday afternoon we went for our usual family stroll 'round "the circuit", which takes us up the hill outside our compound gate, to the main road Ivato (pronounced Ee-va-too), turning right towards the vegetable market about half a mile down, where we turn and greet the vegetable and fruit ladies on the corner and call out "salama" to the adults and children alike who stop and stare, or laugh and point, at the vazaha family with the two little white boys. The road takes us to the back lanes, past the water taps where the brightly coloured plastic pails are lined up waiting their turn to get the drinking/washing water for their homes, and then around the corner to the football field. We can hear the football (aka Soccer, to the N.Americans out there) games being played of a Sunday afternoon while we're napping and this game sounded a lot more intense than the others had done in weeks past. Perhaps it's the finals Whatever the case, despite the noise that the game was generating, we werent prepared for the absolute mob that was gathered at the game and around the pitch. They were probably 4-5 people deep around the whole field and children up in the eucalyptus trees and on the far wall. The lady selling peanuts and oranges doing business as the snack vendor, background music blaring from a teen-encrusted car by the back gate. If i ever wondered what the Malagasy do for entertainment in a country where most cant rub two ariary together to stretch for some vegetables to go with their 3-meal-a-day rice meals, this was an answer to my question: a huge, free, football match!

When we strolled around the corner and joined the throngs of people craning their necks to see over the fence of people surrounding the pitch we created the usual stir. Women and children inched closer to point and smile at the baby. A drunk man came by to "talk" to us and i was glad not to understand what he was saying.

We quickly noticed, since there were about 4 goals scored within the first 5 minutes we stood there, that the most interesting part of the game was when a team scored a goal, for then the crowd erupted and the fans of the scoring team, lined up on one length of the field, took off across the pitch with flags and banners waving, to taunt and jeer at the opposing side, dancing about in their glee only to quickly rush back to their places as the game resumed. Invariably the other side would reciprocate in kind after only a few minutes as it seemed the game was rigged for more entertainment value than athletic skill. (not a kind observation, i realize, but it was an incredibly high scoring game!) I was glad of it, the frequent goals, because the sight of half the field jigging over to jeer at the opposing fans - hoisting up favourite players in a triumphant hug en route - was a sight to behold. Hilarious! And joyful! What a great way to spend a lovely afternoon.

The experience was akin to the World Cup Football Pepsi commercial i saw online (do you see it on Canadian TV?) although here there wasnt the savannah to roam across as most things are hemmed in by brick walls on every side.

We were the happy recipients of a windfall of new toys this last weekend from a great (and generous) friend who is leaving for their next project next week. I met Sharon about 2 years ago at the Raphia (what a surprise) and since i heard them speaking English and she had a daughter about the same age as Judah i invited her to join our playgroup. It's been nice having Sharon around because with her here i am definitely not the most liberal person in the group

Judah is pretty stoked about the new lion costume that was in the stash of goods. But we determined that the purple unicorn costume was too girly for our house and have passed it on to the girl next door.

Friends of ours take their kids biking on the outskirts of town where they can bike in an area a lot larger than our front compound driveway. Josh and Judah joined the fun last Sunday afternoon while Asher and i took a nap.

Asher started crawling yesterday (June 1) and this morning the memories of Judah getting into everything and having to start the "no, dont touch that!" phase came rushing back. <sigh>. I know many second born children have survived baby-hood, but the added stress of having Judah's little toys hiding about under furniture and wherenotall makes me wonder how children born after the first one dont all expire from choking hazards. ACK!

On the topic of stressors, one of the MAF personnel emailed us a "pressure points" survey for MAF job holders and their spouses. Although we realize now and again that living in Madagascar doing what we do is at times stressful, the itemization of her survey was somewhat overwhelming in that it listed so clearly the pressure points that are unique to where we live and what we're doing. Some of the categories included: health and safety, living conditions, cultural differences, relationships, finances...

Josh mentioned the other day, when pressured , that one of the things he appreciates about me is that i'm not afraid to drive on my own downtown. Yesterday after meeting Sharon at the Cookie Shop for a farewell coffee i decided that since i am apparently so fearless i would drive myself to the Route d'Independance (the centre of town) and see if i couldnt track down the Taf tea shop for some refill loose teas (i hadnt been there in probably 2 years) and also find some closed runners for Judah now that it's cooler weather and his shoes are getting a bit small. I'm proud to say that i survived my first foray into centre ville without scathes, and it wasnt even very stressful. I suppose the traffic was quite light, which made it a lot easier. I remember driving to the Cookie Shop with Michelle and thinking how fearless she was with her driving everywhere on her own. It's nice to realize that i've been here long enough that i'm now one of those women who can drive pretty much anywhere (important) in this city on my own. Woot, woot!

Josh took photos to work yesterday with the intention of blogging about his last trip. Wouldnt that be funny if we were blogging at the same time His blog most likely wont be posted on Facebook to notify you of it's arrival, so stay tuned for it.

I keep visiting some of my favourite blogs and am so disappointed when i get there and i've already read what they've written because it's the same blog from last week! And then i think to myself, but how often have YOU blogged this last month. Judge not, as they say.

So, ah, i'm not sure what to write about though since i'm not up to writing about joylessness like i said i was going to do. I'm waiting for the Messenger to come in hard copy so i can re-read my article that they posted in the June issue because i've forgotten what i wrote there. (hopefully nothing too controversial ) I do know that i can get the Messenger online, but it takes SO LONG to load up and it seems to always jam our computer. In related (computer) news, we finally got our computer battery today because a friend from the UK brought it with her after MAF in Ashford mailed it to her. And Josh's new bird book which he is very excited about and declares it's much better than the other one he has. (what a birding geek ) Today we had a few friends over for pumpkin bread and tea. I'm on a pumpkin kick lately because last week i bought a whole pumpkin, pureed it all and 'put up' a whack of pumpkin baby food cubes (which Asher loves) and 6 cups (frozen in Ikea cups, even) of puree to be used at my pumpkin baking/cooking leisure. The pumpkin bread is a hit with me at least. Yum!

Much of my new found... let's call it joy... of things domestic has stemmed from my reading of a blog Rhonda recommended to me called thyhandhathprovided. It's amazing the things that woman does. I've copied out several of her recipes and it's one my goals to actually make them! My other favourite blog at the moment is howaboutorange, which is everything creative i yearn to be.

Last week Josh had a few days off because he's been flying a lot of weekends and holidays recently (what a drag! says his family). Friday while Judah was in school all day Josh and Asher and i went down to Ivandry and enjoyed a lunch at the Cookie Shop (the BBQ Club Bagel Sandwich is simply heavenly, not to mention the white chocolate swirl brownie a la mode!!), picked up some bricolage stuff at Mr. Bricolage (new chain for the broken swing, rat poison because a rat strolled by the deck the other day while i was enjoying a cuppa out there, and a french outlet plug to make the new humidifier Josh bought in SA plug into our outlets), and then stopped in the "American" pharmacy for Asher's 6 month vaccines (dropped ca. 350,000Ar/125$ for the two of them... and then forgot them at the counter after we'd paid and left for the car. oopsies). He's got a nasty cold now though so we'll put off the jabs for a few days until he's over that. Asher is so close to crawling now i'm realizing the new challenges that come with that stage of baby-hood. Alas. So all our books are migrating north, or up, as it were. I lecture Judah on keeping his little toys cleaned up and will begin to remind him of the dangers of leaving stuff he doesnt want touched by anyone in an area where Asher can easily reach. I suppose that soon we'll start using the bamboo play pen a bit more than we have done up until now to keep him penned up. Today at the Raphia i wisely took along our big picnic blanket for Asher to sit on instead of the smaller baby sized one he uses at church on the floor because as soon as we put him down on the ground at the Raphia he is scooting as quick as his little limbs can get him to the dirt to shovel as much dirt as he can into his mouth. Our luncheons in the garden have become a little less relaxing due to this new phase. alas.

Today was also French/Malagasy Mothers' Day, so i got a rose in church this morning and there were rose petals on the aisles. Happy Second Mothers' Day!

We've just finished and enjoyed the second season of Chuck. It's grown on me. Soon we'll have the first 6 seasons of Corner Gas and you can bet that we'll force it on all our friends. LOL.

this photo was taken to show what a big boy Asher is getting to be... it's an unfortunate background for such a photo, we only realized that later. LOL.